Ryanair passenger loses seat on flight to Spain after attempting money-saving trick
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info
A Ryanair passenger was left fuming after being kicked off a flight following his attempts at using a money-saving trick. Scott McCormick and his girlfriend Helena Boshwick, 33, were due to fly from Birmingham Airport to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on May 1 for a week-long holiday and gym-mentorship event.
The 33-year-old hadn't paid for seats for the flight, which can cost as much as £33 each, due to it being just two hours long and not minding if they were separated.
But when they reached the boarding gate, a Ryanair staff member asked them to step aside while the rest of the passengers boarded. The pair then had a "meltdown" as they were told only Hannah had a seat on the flight. A staff member claimed it was because they 'hadn't reserved a seat'. The gym-owner claims they protested and were finally told that they could both get on the next flight and receive a refund for both tickets.
After sharing his experience on social media, many suggested Scott and Helena were singled out because they had not reserved seats – suggesting a technique many use to keep fares low could end up costing people more, reports Birmingham Live.
However, Ryanair clarified the issue occurred because they switched planes from one with fewer seats and as a result "one passenger was unable to travel".
(Image: Kennedy News/@scott.morelifecoaching)
Scott, from Birmingham, said: "We checked in the night before and we didn't reserve a seat but you normally just get a random one.
"We turned up, everything went as normal, went through security as normal, went to the gate after waiting a couple of hours and we were the first ones at the gate ready for boarding.
"The lady scanned our boarding passes and told us to step to the side for a second. That moment was a red flag, I thought, 'there's something happening here'.
"We stepped to the side and watched all the people board the flight. I asked her to tell us what is going to happen and she said no.
"When everyone boarded, she said, 'the plane is full, there's only one seat remaining and we will have to reimburse you for the other seat or you'll have to get on the next flight."
(Image: Kennedy News/@scott.morelifecoaching)
As Helena chose not to accept her original seat, she was forced to pay a £100 missed departure fee before receiving her new ticket.
Ryanair stated that Scott is not entitled to a refund for the flight from Birmingham to Majorca as he was re-accommodated onto the next available flight.
A Ryanair spokesperson explained: "This flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca (1 May) was not 'overbooked' - it was scheduled to operate on a 737-8200 (197 seats) but for operational reasons had to be swapped to a 737-800 aircraft (189 seats).
"As a result, one passenger was unable to travel on this flight, and was re-accommodated onto the next available flight to Palma de Mallorca.
"Mr McCormick's travel companion was not refused boarding but chose not to board and travel on this flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca and was required to pay a Missed Departure fee (£100) to be booked onto the next available flight."
They added that Scott was notified on the day of travel that he was entitled to claim back expenses, but at the time of writing had yet to submit hsi receipts.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
23 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Ryanair chiefs cancel flights to busy city from June to September as airline issues apology
RYANAIR has issued a warning to passengers as the airline has been "forced" to cancel flights to a major capital city. The Irish airline has decided to stop all flights to and from Amman in Advertisement 2 Ryanair has decided to stop all flights to/from Amman in Jordan Credit: Alamy Flights going to and from Amman have been scrapped from June 13 to September 30. The A spokesperson said: " "Affected passengers will be notified of their options by email. Advertisement Read more in Travel "Ryanair apologises for these cancellations, which are beyond our control, and passengers are advised to download the Ryanair app to check for the latest flight updates." It comes after about 650 flights to and from Europe were cancelled following airspace closures in response to military strikes between Israel and Iran. And about 1,800 flights were also affected. Separately, Ryanair has Advertisement Most read in News Travel The "Now or Never" sale has to be booked by tomorrow, June 18, to avail yourself of the discounts. The sale is valid on 'It's very important' - Ryanair's 'baggage sizers' warning to Irish passengers ahead of busy Easter break amid €75 fine And there are a number of sunshine spots on offer if you're looking to escape the You can head to Advertisement There are also a number of You can travel to Bristol from €20.16, Glasgow from €23.79, Leeds Bradford from €25.49. Or, head to London Luton, London Stansted or Manchester from €25.49. Other Advertisement You can travel to French hotspots including Paris Beauvais from €36.54 or Nantes or Biarritz from €42.49. These deals and more are available to book on the 2 The Irish airline has decided to stop all Amman flights Credit: Getty Images - Getty
Irish Independent
11 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Big increase in winter flights at Dublin Airport expected after cap suspended
The number of seats that will be available on flights in and out of the capital will rise to just under 17.9 million for the season, a 23pc increase on last winter. Last winter, just under 14.4 million seats were set to be made available by carriers as the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) decided to limit numbers to ensure Dublin Airport adhered to its annual 32 million passenger cap. While the number available next winter is expected to shoot back up to 17.9 million, that is still below the near 18.4 million that were being made available for winter 2023-2024. Aer Lingus intends to have more than 4.7 million seats available this winter. That's 560,000 more than last winter. Ryanair will have 7.54 million, compared with the 6.25 million it had last season. Other international operators, from Gulf carriers Emirates and Etihad to US airlines including United, Delta and American, will have hundreds of thousands of extra seats available between them. Dublin Airport's passenger cap is due to a planning condition attached in 2007 to the construction of Terminal 2. However, this year Dublin Airport will handle about 36.3 million passengers, following decisions by the High Court that effectively paused the cap while certain matters related to aircraft take-off and landing slot allocations are being examined by the European Court of Justice. It is not likely to deliver a ruling on those matters until summer next year. Dublin Airport's slots are managed by UK-based firm Airport Coordination. Its initial co-ordination report for the coming winter period, which covers October 26 to March 28 next year, shows the dramatic increase in the planned seat availability now that the IAA cannot, for the time being at least, limit the number at Dublin Airport. The report shows there was demand for 103,020 take-off and landing slots for the season, with 102,754 allocated. New slots for the period were requested by a slew of airlines, from Aer Lingus and Ryanair, to Hainan Airlines, Emirates and Etihad. Ryanair remains by far the biggest operator at Dublin Airport for the season, with 39pc of allocated slots for the winter. Aer Lingus has 23pc. Emerald Airlines, which operates the Aer Lingus Regional service, has just under 13pc. The largest non-Irish long-haul carrier out of Dublin is United Airlines, with 1,080 slots for the winter, followed by Emirates and Qatar Airways. The report from Airport Coordination notes that some new destinations which intended to be operated next winter include routes to Albania's capital, Tirana, as well as to Rabat in Morocco and a direct service to Derry. The Government has pledged to have the cap removed. While Transport Minister Darragh O'Brien has suggested legislation will be brought forward in the autumn to address the cap, it could take some time before it is removed. Dublin Airport is set for its busiest ever summer, with passenger numbers expected to surpass 10 million for the season. It expects to have a number of days where passenger numbers will significantly exceed 100,000.
Dublin Live
20 hours ago
- Dublin Live
Ryanair passenger loses seat on flight to Spain after attempting money-saving trick
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A Ryanair passenger was left fuming after being kicked off a flight following his attempts at using a money-saving trick. Scott McCormick and his girlfriend Helena Boshwick, 33, were due to fly from Birmingham Airport to Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on May 1 for a week-long holiday and gym-mentorship event. The 33-year-old hadn't paid for seats for the flight, which can cost as much as £33 each, due to it being just two hours long and not minding if they were separated. But when they reached the boarding gate, a Ryanair staff member asked them to step aside while the rest of the passengers boarded. The pair then had a "meltdown" as they were told only Hannah had a seat on the flight. A staff member claimed it was because they 'hadn't reserved a seat'. The gym-owner claims they protested and were finally told that they could both get on the next flight and receive a refund for both tickets. After sharing his experience on social media, many suggested Scott and Helena were singled out because they had not reserved seats – suggesting a technique many use to keep fares low could end up costing people more, reports Birmingham Live. However, Ryanair clarified the issue occurred because they switched planes from one with fewer seats and as a result "one passenger was unable to travel". (Image: Kennedy News/@ Scott, from Birmingham, said: "We checked in the night before and we didn't reserve a seat but you normally just get a random one. "We turned up, everything went as normal, went through security as normal, went to the gate after waiting a couple of hours and we were the first ones at the gate ready for boarding. "The lady scanned our boarding passes and told us to step to the side for a second. That moment was a red flag, I thought, 'there's something happening here'. "We stepped to the side and watched all the people board the flight. I asked her to tell us what is going to happen and she said no. "When everyone boarded, she said, 'the plane is full, there's only one seat remaining and we will have to reimburse you for the other seat or you'll have to get on the next flight." (Image: Kennedy News/@ As Helena chose not to accept her original seat, she was forced to pay a £100 missed departure fee before receiving her new ticket. Ryanair stated that Scott is not entitled to a refund for the flight from Birmingham to Majorca as he was re-accommodated onto the next available flight. A Ryanair spokesperson explained: "This flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca (1 May) was not 'overbooked' - it was scheduled to operate on a 737-8200 (197 seats) but for operational reasons had to be swapped to a 737-800 aircraft (189 seats). "As a result, one passenger was unable to travel on this flight, and was re-accommodated onto the next available flight to Palma de Mallorca. "Mr McCormick's travel companion was not refused boarding but chose not to board and travel on this flight from Birmingham to Palma de Mallorca and was required to pay a Missed Departure fee (£100) to be booked onto the next available flight." They added that Scott was notified on the day of travel that he was entitled to claim back expenses, but at the time of writing had yet to submit hsi receipts.
